Task Force Paladin
, flagship of Task Force Paladin |image2 = Buckingham.jpg |caption2 = Starbase 185, headquarters of Task Force Paladin |active = 2385|affiliation = |org = Starfleet|part = Vanguard Command (main division) Iota Leonis Command (field division)|hq = Starbase 185|current = Rear Admiral William Riker|notable = Commodore - Quetzalxochitl Vejar Executive Officer, Task Force Paladin Captain Worf - Fleet Captain, Strike Group Two|flagship = }} Task Force Paladin is one of seven major divisions of the Vanguard Fleet. It is commanded by former Captain and now Rear Admiral William Riker. It has as its flagship the Command Battleship . It is the mobile arm of Iota Leonis Command, which also has Admiral Riker as its Sector Commander. This command is a major field division of Vanguard Command. Task Force Paladin is deployed to Iota Leonis Sector and has station Starbase 185, located around the orbit of Iota Leonis V, as its home port. Geographically, it is the closest Starfleet facility to the Delta Quadrant. The second-in-command of the task force is Commodore Quetzalxochitl "Sally" Vejar, who is also Executive officer of the . Background Riker had reluctantly taken command of the task force in 2385 despite not wanting to leave the Starship yet. Fleet Admiral Maximus Hunter had made it clear to him that there were only three persons in Starfleet with the battle savvy to utilize the capabilities of a command battleship-led task force to its fullest potential without diminishing the core principles of the Federation. He was one, and Rear Admirals Benjamin Sisko and Razal Gibran were the others. But Sisko and Gibran had already been earmarked to command Task Force Belligerent and Task Force Dauntless, respectively. He was eventually convinced to accept the position by Admiral Hunter after being told that he was going to be on the same fleet as his old captain, Jean-Luc Picard, who was by then also a Rear Admiral and that exploration was still part of the primary mission of Vanguard Command. Task force complement Task Force Paladin has a full complement of fifty-four (54) starships, composed of: *One (1) Command Battleship, the *One (1) Battle Cruiser, the *One (1) Battle Cruiser *One (1) Heavy Cruiser *Two (2) Heavy Cruisers *Two (2) Heavy Cruisers *Two (2) Assault Cruisers *Three (3) Medium Cruisers *Three (3) Light Cruisers *Six (6) Destroyers *Fifteen (15) Fast Frigates *Fifteen (15) Tactical Frigates *Two (2) Tactical Corvettes Deployment The starships of Fask Force Paladin are regularly deployed out of Starbase 185 for three-month missions to any point beyond the "Frontier" borders. After each three-month mission, they return to base for at least two weeks to allow its crews time for shore leave and for needed repairs, resupplies, refits and upgrades to the starships. Before deployment, Admiral Riker had drilled the officers and crew of the entire task force on tactical movements that were specifically designed by Admiral Hunter for high alert scenarios. In each formation type, the starships were trained to follow a series of defensive patterns when engaged in combat that would allow the ships of each formation to augment each other’s firepower while at the same time strengthening each other’s shields. Condition Green At Condition Green, the task force is divided into permanent squadrons of three starships composed of one lead ship and two escort ships. The task force has 15 squadrons in all, excluding one Battle Cruiser and the six Destroyers. Each squadron were to undertake missions of exploration and diplomacy for a duration of 3 months, taking a circuitous route across one or more sectors, starting from and ending at the task force's home port. After each three-month mission, it returns to base for at least two weeks to allow its crews time for shore leave and for needed repairs, resupplies, refits and upgrades to the starships. While one escort ship augments the research and exploration abilities of the lead ship, the other escort ship augments the combat abilities of the lead ship if they are engaged in battle. Condition Yellow At Condition Yellow, the task force is reformed into four mission groups, which still primarily undertake missions of exploration and diplomacy when Vanguard Command is on high alert, or when a particular mission group is traveling across more hostile sectors. To easily form these mission groups, squadrons under each mission group operate in sectors that are near each other. Each mission group is composed of 12 starships. Each mission group operate separately but in close coordination with one another. * Mission Group Alpha is led by the * Mission Group Bravo is led by the Battle Cruiser * Mission Group Charlie is led by the Heavy Cruiser of the task force * Mission Group Delta is led by the first Heavy Cruiser of the task force In situations where there is a need to deploy a group of starships larger than a squadron but the security situation in the area does not merit a declaration of Condition Yellow, Admiral Riker deploys the Battle Cruiser and the six Medium Cruisers as a battle group to the situation. Together, they are called “The Wolf Pack.” The Wolf Pack is only formed for short a duration. Once their mission has been concluded, the seven ships return to their solo missions patrolling Alliance territory. Condition Red At Condition Red-1, the task force is reformed into only two strike groups and operate specifically to undertake tactical missions in defense of Starbase 185. Strike Group One is composed of 26 starships, led by the . Strike Group Two is composed of 27 starships, led by the Battle Cruiser . When Riker is not with the flagship, Commodore Quetzalxochitl Vejar, Executive officer of the Paladin ''and the task force, is in command Strike Group One. Captain Worf, Commanding officer of the ''Bat'leth, commands Strike Group Two as Fleet Captain. The Battle Cruiser of the task force remains detached and does not appear until its part in the battle plan takes place. During Condition Red-2 the whole 54-ship task force operates as one unit with the sole purpose of engaging an enemy fleet in battle. Slipstream travel Although only the is the only starship in the task force with a Quantum Slipstream Drive, because of the size of the slipstream tunnel produced by the flagship, the rest of the task force can travel with it at slipstream speed in tight formation. Through the Quantum Slipstream Drive, the task force can be deployed to the borders of the Gamma Quadrant or the Delta Quadrant within a relatively short period of time and operate there. Category:Starfleet task force formations Category:Vanguard command task force formations